Chant modality
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I'd like to know of any resources on the theory of chant modality, particularly as it relates to harmony. I accompany chant from time to time, and would like any information I can get as to what the basic "theory" behind such accompaniment would be.
  • Jscola30
    Posts: 116
    There's a book I have I bought I think on Ebay called Treatise On the Accompaniment of Gregorian Chant by Henri Potiron, trans. by Ruth C. Gabain. It says on the cover Potironm (since I didn't know who he was) was choir master at Sacre-Coeur and prof. at the Greogian Institute. Check ebay and check www.bookfinder.com which lets you search all the used booksites at once.
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,204
    There's also a treatise by Dupre (or Durufle, I can't remember) on the subject. I don't know if it's ever been translated, but it's worth a look.
  • The best I've seen (and I have it only in photo-copy form) is by Flor Peeters. His style is strictly modal, i.e. not just major/minor chords superimposed on the melody. It is very detailed with many examples of both do's and don't's.
  • The Library of Congress catalog record for the English language Potiron organ accompaniment instruction book is as follows:

    LC Control No.: ma 53000002
    LCCN Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/ma53000002
    Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
    Personal Name: Potiron, Henri. [from old catalog]
    Main Title: Practical instruction in plainsong accompaniment.
    Published/Created: Tournai, Belgium, Society of St. John Evangelist, Desclée, 1949.
    Description: 240 p. music. 26 cm.
    Subjects: Gregorian chants --Accompaniments --Instruction and study.
    LC Classification: MT190 .P7

    Thank you.

    John D. Horton
    Tacoma, Washington
    USA
  • Other English language instruction books on Gregorian Chant accompaniment include the following according to the Library of Congress (loc.gov) catalog:

    LC Control No.: 28012049
    LCCN Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/28012049
    Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
    Personal Name: Arnold, J. H. (John Henry), 1887-1956.
    Main Title: Plainsong accompaniment, by J. H. Arnold; with a preface by Geoffrey Shaw.
    Published/Created: London, Oxford university press, H. Milford [1927]
    Description: xv, 175 p. illus. (music) 26 cm.
    Notes: "Examples": p. [105]-143.
    "Tone table and harmonies": p. [145]-170.
    Subjects: Gregorian chants --Accompaniments --Instruction and study.
    LC Classification: MT190 .A2
    Other System No.: (OCoLC)958729

    LC Control No.: unk84114781
    LCCN Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/unk84114781
    Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
    Personal Name: Cecile, Sister. [from old catalog]
    Main Title: Chant accompaniment simplified.
    Published/Created: [Collegeville, Minn., Liturgical Press, 1960]
    Description: 15 p. cm.
    Subjects: Gregorian chants --Accompaniments --Instruction and study.
    LC Classification: MT190 .C4

    LC Control No.: 64055831
    LCCN Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/64055831
    Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
    Personal Name: Fleming, Michael P. M.
    Main Title: The accompaniment of plainsong.
    Published/Created: Croydon [Eng.] Royal School of Church Music [1963?]
    Description: 16 p. music 22 cm.
    Notes: Bibliography: p. 16.
    Subjects: Gregorian chants --Accompaniments --Instruction and study.
    Series: Royal School of Church Music. Study notes, no. 11
    LC Classification: MT190 .F6

    LC Control No.: 50026376
    LCCN Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/50026376
    Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
    Personal Name: Lapierre, Eugène, 1899-1970.
    Main Title: Gregorian chant accompaniment. A new and simple approach according to the theory of the basic modal intervals.
    Edition Information: [1st ed.]
    Published/Created: Toledo, Gregorian Institute of America [1949]
    Description: 103 p. music. 25 cm.
    Subjects: Gregorian chants --Accompaniments --Instruction and study.
    LC Classification: MT190 .L3
    Other System No.: (OCoLC)1016223

    LC Control No.: 50056132
    LCCN Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/50056132
    Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
    Personal Name: Peeters, Flor, 1903-1986.
    Uniform Title: Méthode pratique pour l’accompagnement du chant grégorien
    Main Title: Méthode pratique pour l’accompagnement du chant grégorien. A practical method of plain-chant accompaniment.
    Published/Created: Malines, H. Dessain [1949].
    Related Titles: Practical method of plain-chant accompaniment.
    Description: vii, 99 p. 33 cm.
    Notes: French and English text.
    Bibliography: p. 97. "Catalogue of the published works of Flor Peeters": p. 98-99.
    Subjects: Gregorian chants --Accompaniments --Instruction and study.
    LC Classification: MT190 .P4 1949
    Language Code: engfre
    Other System No.: (OCoLC)2215968

    LC Control No.: 08031853
    LCCN Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/08031853
    Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
    Personal Name: Springer, Max, 1877-
    Main Title: The art of accompanying plain chant, by Max Springer...translated from the German by the Benedictine fathers, Conception, Mo., U.S.A.
    Published/Created: New York, J. Fischer & bro., 1908.
    Description: xiii,238 p. music 23 cm.
    Notes: Includes index.
    Subjects: Gregorian chants --Accompaniments --Instruction and study.
    Series: Fischers edition no. 3050
    LC Classification: MT190 .S67
    Other System No.: (OCoLC)3026311

    LC Control No.: 59014352
    LCCN Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/59014352
    Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
    Personal Name: Weakland, Rembert.
    Main Title: Modal acccompaniment.
    Published/Created: Latrobe, Pa., Archabbey Press, 1959.
    Description: v, 82 l. music. 29 cm.
    Notes: Selections from the Liber usualis (Gregorian notation) : leaves 78-82.
    Subjects: Gregorian chants --Accompaniments --Instruction and study.
    LC Classification: MT190 .W4
    Dewey Class No.: 783.5
    Other System No.: (OCoLC)6445947

    Thank you.

    John D. Horton
    Tacoma, Washington
    USA
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Gavin,

    You might find this interesting:

    HERE

    ...if not, please ignore

    JMO